Have Terrorists Signaled to Americans That They Should Carry Guns?

Threats of jihadist knife attacks or even “creepy clown” incidents just might be convincing more citizens to carry defensive sidearms. [Dave Workman photo] Published reports that an ISIS propaganda magazine called “Rumiyah” is promoting random knife attacks by would-be jihadists just might backfire in the United States as increasing numbers of private citizens are carrying guns for personal protection.

The report first surfaced in PJ Media and the story was picked up by the Daily Mail. It comes on the heels of a knife attack at a St. Cloud, Minnesota shopping mall. The man wielding the knife was shot dead by an armed citizen who also happens to be a self-defense firearms instructor and police officer who was off-duty at the time and out of his jurisdiction. But he still had a defensive sidearm.

Reports about this knife attack campaign said the magazine, which is reportedly published in several languages, recommends such attacks to be carried out at night, on beaches, in forests and in quiet neighborhoods.

This brings up an interesting scenario reminiscent of a long-standing sarcasm within the firearms community: Never take a knife to a gunfight. The reality of that axiom was underscored by the St. Cloud case last month.

Self-defense takes on a whole new angle thanks to a recent spate of so-called “creepy clown” incidents. While the perpetrators of these clown pranks may think what they’re doing is good for laughs, an incident in Auburn, Maine reported by the Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal Wednesday night puts things in a far more serious perspective.

According to the report, a person dressed in clown garb was in the back seat of an SUV. The clown held up a finger in a “gun shape” and mouthed the word “bang.” The unidentified woman, who subsequently called police, responded to the clown by drawing her legally-carried 9mm pistol, at which point the SUV “sped away.”

Down in New York City, WNBC is reporting that, “A creepy clown intimidated people on a subway in Manhattan on Wednesday before chasing a teenager out of a train station, police said.” Had something like that happened in a more civil rights-friendly environment where lots of armed citizens might have been present, that clown might have ended up in an emergency room or on a table in the coroner’s office. One incident reported by CBC in Canada involved a teen wearing a clown mask and chasing kids with a chain. A chain can be a lethal weapon.

There are currently more than 14.5 million Americans who are legally licensed to carry defensive sidearms. For example, as reported earlier this week, the Washington Department of Licensing released its end-of-September data on concealed pistol licenses revealing that during the past month, 2,926 new CPLs were issued, bringing the number of armed Evergreen State residents to 557,471. Roughly 20 percent of these people are women.

On Wednesday in Pierce County, according to the Tacoma News Tribune, a Rogers High School student was arrested on suspicion of felony harassment and making false reports related to “clown hunting” and an alleged stabbing.

Reports about potential terrorist stabbings or people engaging in “creepy clown” incidents justifiably put people on alert. Millions of them are prepared to fight back.

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About Dave Workman

Dave Workman is an award-winning career journalist with an expertise in firearms and the outdoors. He is the author of several books dealing with firearms politics. He has a degree in editorial journalism from the University of Washington and is a lifelong Washington resident.